Flying shear



L. IVERSEN FLYING SHEAR Filed Aug. 21, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet l L ore/72 Wersen L. IVERSEZN FLYING SHEAR Jan. 7, 1947.

Fil'ed Aug. 21,

1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Lorenz fl ersen HM JLSLQM with J; a, fi47a W N 2,413,92Q

FLYING SHEAR Filed Aug. 21, 1945 5 Sheets-Shed 3 0 R e. m m g u n m w m. rm y Nu fi mm NNQ MN wm s Q ww Q mm Q x I lW-WIIL F| I I 5w .1...- O t SN- i T aw N R an L. IVERSEN FLYING SHEA'R Jan. 7, 1947.

5 She ets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 21, 1945 INVENTOR Lore/72 /4 e/ sen Jvlaillllll L. IVERSEN FLYING SHEAR Jan. 7, 1947.

Filed Aug. 21 1945 i 5 Sheets-Shed. 5

I Patented Jan. 7, 1947 FLYING SHEAR Lorenz Iver-sen, Pittsburgh, Pa., asslgnor to Mesta Machine Company, Pittsburgh, Pin, it corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 21, 1945, Serial No. 611,781

This invention relates to flying shears of the reciprocable type. such as are generally used in wards Patent 587,363, August 3, 1897. The hy-' draulic mechanisms thus proposed were early superseded by steam-operated cylinders. Carroll Patent 787,324, April 11, 1905, discloses one form of steam control valve. The substitution of steam for liquid as a motive force was not so much for purposes of economy -as to increase the operating speed of the shear. As a matter of fact, shears of this sort are generally very wasteful of steam and this fact has militated against their use.

The shearing problem has become more acute with increased mill speeds and the imposition of closer length tolerances.- In'the older mills, where the bars moved at more moderate speeds and the length tolerances were reasonably liberal, the older forms of actuating and control mechanisms met the requirements, albeit the shears were expensive to. operate because of excessive steam requirements. Under present-day conditions, however, and with even higher mill speeds in prosv pect, the known designs are inadequate. The

shear actuating mechanism must be capable of accelerating. the shear from a position of rest to a speed which, at the time of cutting, approximately equals the bar speed, as otherwise cobbles might result. The forward motion of the shear arm must then be checked and the arm. brought to rest and then moved in the reverse direction to the initial position for another out. All this must be done in a very limited time cycle, and without undue shock, so that the mechanism will not wrack itself to pieces or be subject to rapid wear or misadjustment. Moreover, in order to hold within close length tolerances on the cut bars, the shear must function uniformly on every stroke. It is common practice to employ a "flag" in the path of the moving bar to actuate the shear. When the oncoming bar moves the flag, the shear is tripped to effect a cut. A brief time lag between the tripping of the flag and the initiation of the cut is permissible, and can be compensated for by adjusting the position of the flag on the run-out table, but whatever the time lag may be, it must be a uniform one for each actuation. Even a small variation will result in successive bars be- 7 Claims. (Cl. 164-56) ing cut to diflerent lengths, the variation becoming greater with higher mill speeds. Since it is desirable that the barsbe cut within very close tolerances, it becomes important to provide a shear which is in reality a precision instrument.

My improved shear meets these requirements and is suitable for cutting at very high speeds within very closeiimits of accuracy. Instead of using steam as a motive fluid, I employ a liquid, preferably oil. However, instead of using the older hydraulic mechanisms, which are unsatisfactory for present-day purposes, I employ a' cylinder and plunger mechanism, with controls so arranged that when the cycle is once initiated, the mechanism functions powerfully, swiftly and with extreme time precision.

.In the accompanying drawings, illustrating a present preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of part of a bar mill employing my improved shear;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shear mechanism with parts of the feed table and the runout table shown in section, the mechanism bein shown in position for initiating a stroke;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing further details of the shear. proper, the mechanism being in the position occupied at approximately mid-stroke:

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; i Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fi 4;

Fig. 6 is a section to enlarged scale on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5, showing the fluid control valve niiaichanism, its valve being shown in another pcs on; a

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an end view to enlarged scale corresponding to the uppermost portion of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a section 'on the line IX-IX of Fig.4;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line X-X of Fig. 4;

Fig. 11 is a section, partly broken away, and taken generally on the line ifl-XI of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 11a is a view, corresponding to Fig. 11, but showing the plunger in a different position.

Referring first to Fig. 1, I have diagrammatically shown the last two stands of a bar mill 2, wherein the bars being rolled travel in the-direction oi the arrow 3. As they issue from the last stand of the bar mill they pass over a roll table 4 and are thereby fed to the shear which is the subject-matter of this specification. The cut lengths leaving the shear are carried away by a ceeding length. A flag 1, adjustable along the run-out table, is arranged to be engaged by the leading ends olsuccessive lengths, so as to actu- General arrangement of the shear mechanism See particularly Figs. 2 and 3. There is a base 8 secured to a foundation 8.-

The arm ID of the shear is carried by a shaft ll working in bearings l2 formed on the base 8. Near its upper end the arm I is provided with a bell mouth l3 through which the bars travel from the feed table 4. A fixed shear knife II is socured to the arm I at the exit end of the bell mouth l3, and a movable knife [5 coacts with the fixed knife it to shear the bars. In F 3 the shear arm is shown in approximately mid-position, the shear blades traveling during a cutting stroke from the positions ila-lSa to the positions lib-lib.

' The shear knife I! is carried by a head l6 slidable in guides l'l formedin the arm i0. Gibs i8 are provided for taking up wear and a dashpot is of usual construction is provided for cushioning the movement of thehead i6.

A shaft 20 is mounted in the head it and forms an attachment for the upper ends of links 2i arranged at an angle to the arm ill and pivoted at their lower ends on a shaft 22 carried by bearings 23 on the base 8. This linkage is such that when the arm i8 is rocked, the shear blade I5 is caused to slide up or down on the arm iii.

A spring buffer 24 is provided as a stop for the return. i. e., the right-to-left motion, of the arm The shaft 20, in addition to providing a connection for the links 2i, also provides a connection for operating links 25, which serve to transmit the motive power for the shear. These links extend forwardly and downwardly at an angle of about 45 deg.'to the vertical and at their lower ends are pivoted to a cross-head 28, movable between guides 21 in a housing indicated generally by the reference character 28. The housing 28 is fastened to the base 8 by bolts 29 and is secured against movement by a cross-key 30.

General arrangement of the motive unit See particularly Figs. 1, 4 and 5. The housing 28 carries a motive cylinder 3i bored to receive a plunger 82. The projecting end 50 of the plunger is slotted to receive the cross-head 26. A tail plunger 33, coaxial with the plunger 32, extends downwardly therefrom into a tail cylinder 34 secured to the lower end of the housing 28.

Splash guards 35 are provided at each side of the housing 28 above the guides 21 so as to protect them from water and'scale.

The prime mover for the shear is an electric motor 36 (see Fig. 1) which drives an 'oil pump 31. Oil under high pressure (e. g. 2750 lbs. per sq. in.) is supplied by the pump 31 through a conduit 38 to a pressure chamber 39. A conduit 40- having an adjusting valve 4i therein leads from the pressure chamber 39 to the cylinder 3i through the control valve shown in detailgin Fig. 6 and hereinafter fully described. It willsufl'lce for the moment to say that oil under very high pressure is made available by the conduit 40 and upon the control valve being opened it flows into the cylinder 3| to effect a power stroke of the plunger 32, the movement of the plunger being transmitted through the cross-head 26 and links 25 to the shear proper. The return stroke of the shear is effected by actuating the control valve 75 plate 53 of the valve-stem 48 until pressure in of Fig. 6 so as to cut oil the supply of oil under pressure and release the oil contained in the cylinder 3! through an exhaust pipe 42 leading back to the sump of the pump 31. When the pressure in'the cylinder 3| is thus released, oil under constant pressure in the tail cylinder 34 supplies the necessary force for returning the mechanism to its original position.

Control valve See particularlyFigs. 4-8 inclusive.

The control valve is of the balanced piston type. In Fig. 4 it is shown in position to be .tripped (exhaust position) and in Fig. 6 it is shown after having been tripped so as to connect the pressure chamber 39 with the motive cylinder 3! (pressure position). The valve consists of a body 43 formed in the upper end of the cylinder 3| and cross bored'to accommodate a piston valve 44. The piston valve has an enlarged portion 45, a neck portion 46, an enlarged portion 41, and a projecting stem-48 provided with a packing 49. The valve functions by lon-' gitudinal movement. It is biased to the exhaust position of Fig. 4-by a hairpin spring 50 whose free end bears against the outer end of the stem 68. A hook 5i pivoted at 52 engages the end of the stem 68 when the valve is in the exhaust position and prevents movement of the valve from that position until and unless the hook 5! is raised out of engagement with the valve stem. Cooperating hardened latch-plates 53 are provided on the stem 48 and the hook 5! since the hook is actuated on every cutting stroke of the shear.

The portion 65 of the piston valve Ml is bored to receive a flXed stem 5lformed on the head 55 of the valve body. The stem 54 is hollow and is in communication with an oil pressure pipe 56. Assuming that the oil in the pipe 56 is under sufllcient pressure, raising of the hook 5| so as to unlatch the piston valve will result in this oil pressure causing the piston valve to move from the exhaust position of- Fig. 4 to the pressure 45 position of Fig. 6.

As above stated, oil under pressure flows to the control valve from the pressure chamber 39 through a conduit 40. The inlet of the conduit 40 to the valve chamber is shown at 40a in Fig. 6 and, with the valve in the position there shown, oil flows to the cylinder 3i as indicated by the arrow 40b. The opening from the valve chamber to the exhaust pipe 42 is indicated at 42a in Fig. 6, and the outflow of oil is indicated by the dotted arrow 42b.

The raising of the hook 5| is effected by a cam 51 (see Figs. 6 and 8) on the end of a shaft 58. The shaft 58 carries a pulley 59 and a light cable 60 lies in the groove of this pulley. The cable is connected to the flag I in known manner so that upon actuation of the flag the shaft 58 is rotated a half turn. Return movement of the pulley upon resetting of the flag I, after a bar has moved out from under it, may be effected in any convenient manner, e. g. by a counterweight 5|.

The half rotation of the shaft 58 cams the hook 5| upwardly from the latch position of Fig. 4 to the trip position of Fig. 6. Thereupon (assuming pressure in the pipe 56) the piston valve 44 is-moved to the position of Fig. 6. Resetting of the flag rotates the shaft 58 back to its original position and, assuming that the valve 44 is in the position of Fig. 6, the hook rests on the latchthe pipe lid is relieved. Thereupon the spring iorcee the valve hack to the position of Fig. 4 and as soon as the end of the valve stem it reaches its innermost position, the hook it moves downwardly under the influence of its own weight and of coil springs it to latch the valve in the exhaust position.

The mass of the piston valve is relatively small and the fluid pressures to which it is subjected are substantially balanced out. In consequence, the movement from exhaust to pressure position is exceedingly rapid. A large free channel for the passage of oil is thus immediately provided and a power stroke on the plunger 32 is therefore initiated with great rapidity and maximum force, as is required'for extreme shearing conditions.

Tail cylinder mechanism See particularly Figs. 4, 5 and 9-11a inclusive.

The tail cylinder is provided with pressure 011 from the pressure chamber 39 by a pressure pipe 63 having a'valve 64 therein (see. Fig. 1). The pipe 83 connects with a passage 64 in the tail cylinder 34 (see Fig. 10). The passage 84 communicates with a longitudinal passage 65 which extends to a point about of the way down the cylinder and terminates in a transverse passage 66 (see Fig. 9). The tail cylinder proper is of enlarged diameter at this point, as indicated at 61. Above the enlarged annulus 81 the tail cylinder makes a close working fit with the tail plunger 33, but below the annulus 6'!- it is of larger diameter, as best shown in Fig. 110.. Because of this arrangement, oil under pressure may flow from the pressure pipe 63 to the bottom end of the cylinder and thus provide the necessary force for effecting the return stroke of the shear. In operation. the oil in the tail cylinder will always be under pressure, but since the tail plunger 33 is otmaterially smaller cross-section than the motive plunger 32, the admission of high pressure oil to the motive cylinder 3| will overcome the'resistance of the tail plunger to effect a cutting stroke, but upon movement of the piston valve 44 to the exhaust position at Fig. 4, the pressure in the tall cylinder will predominate and cause the return stroke.

Control of pressure to pipe 56 See particularly Figs. 4, 11 and 11a.

It has been explained that the oil in the pipe 56 should be under pressure at the time the flag l is tripped to initiate a cut, so that the valve 44 will be moved to the cutting position of Fig. 6, and it has also been explained that the oil pressure in the pipe 56 must be relieved so that the spring 50 may reset the valve 44. The establishment and release of pressure inthe pipe 58 is automatically controlled by the movement of the tail plunger 33.

As best shown in Figs. 4 and 11, the bottom end of the tail plunger 33 is hollow, as indicated at it. the bore 68 communicating with a vent 69 extending to the cylindrical'surface of the tail plunger. The tail cylinder 34 is provided with i moves downwardly in the cylinder it and the vent 69 is immediately moved out of registry with the passage lid. The tail plunger is provided with a portion ll of reduced diameter and as the cutting stroke nears its end. this reduced portion H comes into registry with the passage ill. An-

- other passage I2, also intercepting the main bore of the cylinder 34, is provided adjacent the passage'lll, and the passage 12 leads to an exhaust .pipe 13 through which oil may return to the sump of the pump 31. The reduced portion ll of the tail plunger is of such length that it may register simultaneously with the passages 10 and I2, and when this occurs the oil pressure in the pipe 56 is relieved, thus permitting the spring 50 to return the piston valve 44 to the position of Fig. 4. Then, as'alre'ady explained, the pressure'ln the motive cylinder Si is released, the

7 pressure in the tail cylinder 34 predominates, and

the plungers 32 and 33 are returned to the initial position of Fig. 4 for another stroke.

Cushioning and bailing mechanism Bee particularly Figs. 4, 6 and 10. i

It is important in an apparatus of this kind that the movement be exceedingly rapid. Cushioning at each end of the stroke therefore be comes important.

Cushioning at the end of the return stroke is effected byprovidlnga hollow I4 in the upper end of the plunger 32 and forming an annulusv :15 at the upper end of the cylinder 3| arranged to project into the hollow". The cylinder 3| is made somewhat larger at its upper end than the plunger 32, so that oil will not be too tightly trapped in the recess surrounding the annulus "I5 when the upper end of the plunger moves into the recess. There will, however, be' oil in this space with no means of escape except through the a cross-passage 10 which intercepts the main bore, as shown in Fig. 11. When the mechanism is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the vent 69 registers with the passage Ill so that there is an open conduit from the tail cylinder 34. The pressure pipe 56 terminates in the passage Ill and consequently the pressure of the oil in the reservoir 39 is communicated through the pipe 63, passages 64, 65 and 66, cylinder 34, plunger bore 88, vent B9, passage l0 and pressure pipe 56 clearances provided and these clearances are made small enough that a suitable cushioning is effected.

The cushioning at the end of the working stroke is similarly obtained. It has already been pointed out that the lower end of the tall cylinder extends beyond the annulus 61 and that therebelow it is of slightly larger diameter than the tail plunger. This arrangement causes entrapment of oil which has no egress except through the clearance between the plunger and the cylinder wall, thus providing a suitable cushion.

As'a safety measure, 'bufiers are provided. It is not contemplated that these buffers will function on a stroke of the shear when cutting of steel is actually effected, but if the shear should be trlppedwhen there is no steel present to be cut, the energy normally absorbed in metal cuttingmust. be otherwise absorbed. This is done by permitting over-travel of the shear arm to the position indicated at llcl5c (Fig. 3)- against resistance of buffers 16. The bufiers consist of plungers working in oil cylinders TI formed in the body of. the tall cylinder 34 and parallel to its principal bore. These buffers are backed by coil springs 18 and by oil under pressure. The oil is supplied to the cylinders l'l through'small bleeds I9 extending from'the cross-bore 84 in communication with the pressure pipe 63 (Fig.

1 '7 The bleeds 19 are made small so that oil can flow through them only at a relatively low rate, thereby causing the buflers IE to iunction as efflcient energy-absorbing mechanisms.

Speed control .The speed of the shear is primarily controlled by adjustment of the valve 4|. If desired, a like adjustment of the valve 64 may be made. This.

' as has frequently been the case heretofore, but,

to the contrary, permits increased operating speeds. It is rugged, compact, operates with certainty, and cuts successive pieces within very close tolerances.

I have illustrated and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that this is by way of illustration only and that the invention may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A flying shear comprising shear blades relatively movable from a starting position to 'effeet a cutting stroke, a fluid-actuated ram for biasing a blade to its starting position, a second fluid-actuated ram of larger area than the first-- mentioned ram, effective, when supplied with fluid under pressure, for overcoming the first-mentioned ram and effecting a cutting stroke, fluid cylinders for the rams, means for supplying fluid under pressure at substantially all times to the cylinder for the first-mentioned ram and means for supplying pressure fluid to and releasing pressure fluid from the cylinder for the second-mentioned ram.

2. A flying shear comprising shear blades relatively movable from a starting position to efiect a cutting stroke, a fluid-actuated ram for biasing a blade to its starting position, a second fluidactuated ram of larger diameter than the flrstmentioned ram, eflfective, when supplied with fluid under pressure, for overcoming the first-mentioned ram and eflecting a cutting stroke, cylinders for the rams, a source of fluid under pressure, a substantially constantly open passage between the fluid pressure source and the firstmentioned ram, and a valved passage between the fluid pressure source and the second ram.

3. A flying shear comprising shear blades relatively movable from a starting position to effect a cutting stroke, a shear-actuating member having oppositely extending rams, one ram being or larger cross-sectional area than the other, fluid cylinders for the rams, means for supplying fluid under pressure at substantially all times to the cylinder for the smaller ram, and means for con-. trolling the supply or pressure fluid to and the relief of pressure fluid from the cylinder for the larger ram..

4. A flying shear comprising shear blades relatively movable from a starting position to efl'ect a cutting stroke, a shear-actuating member having oppositely extending rams, one ram being of larger cross-sectional area than the other, fluid cylinders for the rams, means for supplying fluid under pressure at substantially all times to the cylinder for the smaller ram, valve means for controlling the supply of pressure fluid to and the relief of pressure fluid from the cylinder for the larger ram, and means actuated by the movement oi. the shear-actuating member for controlling the valve.

5. A flying shear comprising shear blades relatively movable from a starting position to efiect a cutting stroke, a shear-actuating member having oppositely extending rams; one ram being of larger cross-sectional area than the other, fluid cylinders for the rams, means for supplying fluid under pressure at substantially all times to the cylinder for the smaller ram, valve means for controlling the supply of pressure fluid to and the relief of pressure fluid from the cylinder for the larger ram, a valve-actuating means for urging the valve to a position to admit pressure fluid, a trip adapted to restrain the valve from such movement until the trip is actuated, s valve-return means for eflecting return movement of the valve and means for rendering the valve-return means effective on movement of the shear-actuat' ing member. v

6. A flying shear comprising shear blades relatively movable from a starting position to eflect a cutting'stroke, a shear-actuating member having oppositely extending rams, one ram being of larger cross-sectional area than the other, fluid cylinders for the rams, means for supplying fluid under pressure at substantially all times to the cylinder for the smaller ram, valve means for controlling the supply of pressure fluid to and the relief of pressure fluid from the cylinder for the larger ram, fluid pressure-actuating means effective when supplied with fluid under pressure for urging the valve to a position to admit pressure fluid to the cylinder for the larger ram, a trip adapted to restrain the valve from such movement until the trip is actuated, a valve return means effective for causing return movement of the valve when the valve-actuating means is cut of! from fluid under pressure, and means controlled by the shear-actuating member for controlling the supply of fluid to the valveactuating means.

7. A flying shear comprising shear blades relatively movable from a starting position to effect a cutting stroke, a shear-actuating member having oppositely extending rams, one ram being of larger cross-sectional area than the other, fluid cylinders for the rams, means for supplyin fluid under pressure at substantially all times to the cylinder for the smaller ram, valve means for controlling the supply of pressure fluid to and the relief of pressure fluid from the cylinder for the larger ram, fluid pressure-actuating means effective when supplied with fluid under pressure for urging the valve to a position to admit pressure fluid to the cylinder for the larger ram, a trip adapted to restrain the valve from such movement until the trip is actuated, a spring effective for causing'return movement of the valve when the valve-actuating means is cut oil from fluid under pressure, and means controlled by the shear-actuating member for controlling the supply of fluid to the valve-actuating means.

LORENZ IVERSEN. 

